Harriet Tracy

Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy (December 6, 1834 – May 30, 1918) was an American inventor who patented at least 27 inventions between 1868 and 1915, including six elevator and 17 sewing machine patents. Her first patent was for a crib attachment for bedsteads. Her patented elevator was put into everyday use at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[1][2]

Harriet Ruth Tracy (seated)

In her obituary it was noted that she was also "gifted as a writer of verse and prose", contributing frequently to "magazines and periodicals".[3]

Personal life
Crib patent

Born Harriet Ruth Brisbane in Charleston, South Carolina to William Brisbane (1809-1860) and Julia Hall Lowndes (1811-1847). The noted abolitionist William Henry Brisbane (1806-1878) was her first cousin once removed.[4]

She moved to New England before the Civil War with her family. In 1860 she married Cadwallader Colden Tracy (1830-1921),[5] a baseball player who had been a member the New York Knickerbockers in 1854.[6] From about 1860-1890 she lived on Staten Island, New York in the village of New Brighton. With her husband she had four daughters.[4] She moved about 1890 with her family to Paris, France, and then to London, England. She died in 1918 at Isleworth.[2][7][3]

References
  1. Hughes, Debra (February 20, 2017). "Woman Inventor: Harriet Ruth Tracy's 19th Century Patents". Hagley Museum. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  2. van der Bijl, Hanno (March 26, 2015). "Elevator Women". Elevator World. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. Eduardo Haviland Hillman (1874-1947 (17 July 1918). "Death of Mrs. Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy". Charleston News & Courier.
  4. Eduardo Haviland Hillman (1913). "The Brisbanes". South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Society, Charleston. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. Thorn, John (Fall 2012). "Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game". 6 (2): 214. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 8 May 2019.

Further reading
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